France's Sebastien Grosjean is unlikely to be able to live with his accuracy and powers. Indeed, nobody can touch Federer on grass when the top seed is at his best.
Henman had not been playing anywhere near as consistently enough at the All England Club to have survived either of those two tests.
The question now is whether Ancic, who is ranked 63rd in the world and has yet to win a title on the Tour, has the ability to do it.
Interestingly Boris Becker, the three-times former champion who took SW19 by storm when he became the youngest champion at 17 in 1985, thinks the Croat has the temperamentand ability to deliver the goods. Becker said: "The future has arrived. His temperament was the most amazing part. We knew he had the talent and the arsenal. But he played with perfect concentration. Henman will remember Ancic's name. His serves of 120mph add another dimension to the game."
Ancic is nevertheless entering new territory. Yesterday was his first appearance in the quarter-finals of a grand slam. He was beaten by Roddick in their only previous meeting in the last 16 at Queen's Club.
However, Roddick believes Ancic, who has practiced with Croatia's former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic from the age of 10, has the ability to be a future champion and he is taking nothing for granted.
The American said: "He's serving great. I don't know what's in the water in Croatia but it seems like every player is over seven feet tall. He's more experienced. There's not a lot of indecision in his game right now. He's kind of saying: 'That is what I got, deal with it'. And I think that's a good mindset for him to have.
"I was lucky to win at Queen's, to be quite honest. He has the tools to develop into a contender for the majors. That's for sure. He's got weapons and he's a competitor."
Roddick reached the semi-finals last year before losing to Federer. The American then captured his first grand slam title at the US Open, the following grand slam. Clearly, he has moved on as a player in the last 12 months.
He said: "Last year the semi-final was my biggest match to date. But since last year I have played a lot of big matches. And I have been in a lot more pressure situations and I think that helps."
Meanwhile, Ancic knows he must reproduce the same brilliant form from the victory over Henman if he is to threaten Roddick.
Asked if he could, the Croat said: "I feel like I'm playing better from each match that I have played. It is going to be extremely difficult. I know that I have to perform at the same level to play with him. I'll try for sure."
